Another long travel day from Trincomolee to the capital, Colombo.
According to the map on the wall of the Caritas office, it is a distance of 257 kilometers, but battered roadways and a meticulous series of military checkpoints on the road out of Trincomalee make travel slow.
The drive took us seven hours. The checkpoints can’t be photographed – as is often the case with military sites – but at two, our identifications were checked by soldiers.
At two others, the vehicle was searched from top to bottom, including the undercarriage, to ensure that no weapons or bombs might reach the capital of Colombo, which has been the scene of several such attacks in recent months.
It is all routine for a military zone. But it is a reminder of what humanitarian workers face in their efforts to reach those affected by violence with the assistance they need to rebuild.
Posted by DavidS
Like what you read? Post a comment or ask a question below
Latest posts
2 Comments
June 29, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Its good to hear some current information about the situation in Sri Lanka as I will be going as a VSO volunteer in September.
Are you finding anyone optimistic about a way forward in the conflict.
July 3, 2008 at 3:10 pm
A good site to look up for well-informed and constructive analysis of the situation as it develops is the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka:
http://www.peace-srilanka.org/
As this is a question which is quite complex, it may be best to phone CAFOD or write for an answer. You can find out how here:
http://www.cafod.org.uk/contact-us